What Benedict’s Law Requires, and Why It Goes Far Beyond the EpiPen

15th July 2026

Written by Stephanie Austin, Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | Last reviewed: July 2026   |   Next review: January 2027

---

The DfE’s final statutory guidance is a much bigger document than “keep a spare pen in the cupboard”. Here’s what’s confirmed for September 2026, and the parts schools keep missing.

Update, July 2026: this post has been combined with our earlier coverage to reflect the Department for Education’s final statutory guidance, published 6 July 2026. It previously covered proposed requirements while the consultation was open. Everything below now reflects what’s confirmed.

In this guide

• Who Benedict Blythe was
• What the guidance actually requires
• Allergy is a spectrum, not a single risk
• Allergy, intolerance, or autoimmune condition?
• Asthma is the part everyone underestimates
• Most allergic reactions are not emergencies
• EURneffy (Neffy): a new option worth knowing about
• The allergens hiding in plain sight
• It’s not only about children with a diagnosis
• Inclusion and wellbeing are part of the duty
• Individual Healthcare Plans go well beyond anaphylaxis
• What all of this means for training
• Frequently asked questions
• How Prima Cura can help

I’ve been delivering anaphylaxis training to school staff for years. And in that time, I’ve seen knowledge gaps that genuinely pull me up short.

One I won’t forget: a staff member who had no idea what an adrenaline auto-injector was. Not a bit unsure about dosage or timing. They didn’t know what it was. They thought the insulin pen belonging to a diabetic colleague was the same thing.

This wasn’t carelessness. This was someone doing their job every day in a school that had never given them the information they needed. And in a building full of children with life-threatening allergies, that gap is dangerous.

But there’s a misconception I run into just as often, and it cuts the other way. People assume that if a child has a food allergy, anaphylaxis is basically inevitable, just a matter of when. It isn’t. Most allergic reactions are not emergencies. In my experience training school staff, one of the most common mix-ups isn’t about pens or plans at all; it’s not knowing the difference between a food allergy, a food intolerance, and an autoimmune condition like coeliac disease. They are not the same thing, and treating them as if they are leads to real mistakes in both directions: staff who panic at a mild reaction, and staff who don’t take a serious one seriously enough.

That’s the gap this guide is here to close. Benedict’s Law is now finalised, so let’s start with what it actually requires, then go through everything the guidance covers that most schools miss.

Who Was Benedict Blythe

Benedict Blythe was five years old when he died from anaphylaxis at school in 2021. He was given milk despite having a known allergy. His mother, Helen Blythe, spent the years that followed pushing for the kind of mandatory protections that might have saved him.

The campaign became known as Benedict’s Law. It passed in February 2026. From September 2026, schools in England will be legally required to meet a clear set of standards around allergy safety.

What the guidance actually requires

On Monday 6 July 2026, the Department for Education concluded its consultation on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school and published the finished statutory guidance, Allergy Safety in Schools. It comes into effect from 1 September 2026.

In plain English: every school covered by the guidance must now have four things in place: a published allergy safety policy, allergy awareness training for all staff, spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site, and an Individual Healthcare Plan for every pupil with an allergy.

A dedicated allergy safety policy. Not a paragraph tucked inside a wider medical conditions document. A standalone policy, with a named senior leader responsible for it, reviewed at least annually, and published on the school’s website.

Allergy awareness training for all staff. Not just first aiders or the medical room. Catering staff, lunchtime supervisors, office staff, supply teachers, the lot. A reaction can start anywhere on site, and the person nearest when it happens needs to know what to do.

Spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site. Held by the school itself, not dependent on a pupil’s own device being available or in date. These are for use in any child or adult showing signs of anaphylaxis, including someone with no known allergy. As many as three in ten severe reactions happen in people with no prior diagnosis, which is exactly why relying only on a named pupil’s own AAI leaves a gap.

Individual Healthcare Plans. A specific, written plan for every pupil with a diagnosed allergy, covering what needs to happen, when, and by whom, including in an emergency. These are built together with the child and their parents.

Before this legislation, guidance on holding spare adrenaline auto-injectors was non-statutory. Schools could choose whether to follow it. Reports suggested that as many as half of all schools had no spare adrenaline pens at all. The new statutory guidance closes that gap.

One thing worth flagging clearly: the duty is currently statutory for maintained schools, academies, and pupil referral units. Independent schools and non-maintained special schools are not yet under the same legal duty, though the government has said it intends to bring in equivalent requirements for these settings through the relevant regulatory standards. If you lead an independent school, this is very much still coming your way, and getting ahead of it now puts you in a stronger position than waiting for the requirement to land.

Ofsted will look at how schools have implemented these changes as part of the inspection, so this isn’t a policy to write and forget.

Allergy is a spectrum, not a single risk

The guidance makes one thing clear early on: allergy is not a single condition. It is a group of related conditions that often overlap in the same child. Food allergy is the one everyone thinks of, but the guidance also covers asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), contact allergies such as nickel and latex, and reactions to insect stings and medicines.

Food allergy alone ranges from a mildly itchy mouth all the way to anaphylaxis. Around 90% of food-allergic reactions are caused by peanuts and tree nuts, cow’s milk, egg, wheat, fish and seafood, and sesame. But the important word in the guidance is “any”. Any food can cause a reaction, which is one of the reasons a “nut-free school” promise gives a false sense of security.

And most allergic reactions, even to food, are not the dramatic emergency people imagine. That does not make them unimportant. It means schools need to handle a whole range of situations, not just the worst one.

Allergy, intolerance, or autoimmune condition? Why the difference matters

This is one of the biggest misconceptions I come across when training school staff, and it’s worth being precise about, because the three conditions need very different responses.

An allergy is the immune system reacting to a harmless substance as though it were a threat. Reactions are usually rapid, within minutes, and can range from mild to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

An intolerance is the digestive system struggling to process something; lactose is the classic example. It isn’t immune-mediated; the reaction is usually delayed by hours, and while it can be genuinely uncomfortable, it isn’t life-threatening.

An autoimmune condition, such as coeliac disease, is different again. The immune system attacks the body’s own tissue when triggered by a substance, such as gluten in coeliac disease. The damage is cumulative and internal, and can occur even without obvious symptoms. It requires strict, lifelong avoidance for the child’s health, but it isn’t an emergency reaction in the way anaphylaxis is.

Mixing these up leads to real mistakes in both directions. A child with coeliac disease who eats a trace of gluten isn’t going to go into anaphylactic shock, but ongoing exposure causes serious internal harm that has nothing to do with how dramatic the moment looks. Meanwhile, a child with a true food allergy needs a very different, faster response than a child with an intolerance. Staff who understand the difference respond appropriately to all three, rather than either overreacting to a mild intolerance or underreacting to a genuine allergy.

Asthma is the part everyone underestimates

On average, there are two or three children with asthma in every classroom in the UK. Asthma is the most common long-term condition among children and one of the top ten causes of emergency hospital admissions. It is also closely tied to allergy, because the same airborne triggers (pollen, dust mites, pet dander, mould) can set off an asthma attack.

Here is the statistic that changes how you think about this. Between April 2019 and March 2023, the National Child Mortality Database recorded 54 child deaths from asthma and 19 from anaphylaxis. More children died from asthma than from anaphylaxis. And every child who died from anaphylaxis and had a known allergy was also diagnosed with asthma. The two conditions travel together, which is exactly why the guidance asks schools to train for both.

There is a wider point buried in that data too: every child who died from asthma had been exposed to air pollution above World Health Organisation guidelines. The guidance treats clean air as a core asthma control measure, alongside good ventilation and air quality. It is not something most schools would think of as part of “allergy safety”, but it is in there.

In practice, this means children with asthma should have their own reliever inhaler at school, ideally an asthma action plan, and it is recommended that schools keep an emergency salbutamol inhaler and spacer alongside their spare adrenaline devices. Wheeze is a symptom of both an asthma attack and food-induced anaphylaxis, so knowing the difference and when to reach for adrenaline first is part of proper training.

Most allergic reactions are not emergencies (and that matters too)

This surprises people: most allergic reactions do not affect the airway, breathing or circulation, and can be treated with an oral antihistamine. A swollen lip, an itchy rash, a bit of hay fever, a flare of eczema. These are far more common than anaphylaxis, and they still need a calm, competent response.

The guidance is clear on what to do. Treat the reaction, tell the child’s parent or emergency contact, do not leave the child on their own, and keep an eye on them in a safe place for at least 60 minutes. Why an hour? Because a mild reaction can occasionally build into anaphylaxis, so monitoring is the safety net.

The rule that never changes: if a reaction involves the airway, breathing or circulation, or if you are in any doubt at all, treat it as anaphylaxis. Give adrenaline without delay and call 999. Adrenaline is very safe, and delay is the thing that costs lives.

EURneffy (Neffy): a new option worth knowing about

As schools work through these requirements, there is a development in how anaphylaxis can be treated that’s worth understanding: EURneffy, the UK’s first needle-free adrenaline nasal spray.

EURneffy was approved by the MHRA in July 2025 and became available in the UK from October 2025. It delivers adrenaline through the nasal lining rather than by injection, making it a needle-free alternative to traditional adrenaline auto-injectors such as EpiPen and Jext.

For schools, the arrival of EURneffy raises a practical question: if a pupil or staff member carries one, would your team know what it is and how to use it? This is exactly the kind of knowledge gap that good allergy training addresses.

Real-world data from the United States, where Neffy has been available since 2024, shows that around nine in ten patients experiencing anaphylaxis were successfully treated with a single dose, a rate comparable to traditional AAIs. That’s reassuring. But EURneffy is not a straightforward replacement for everyone.

Important note on EURneffy suitability: The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) advises that EURneffy may not be suitable for those who have previously needed more than one dose of adrenaline to control anaphylaxis, or those who have experienced severe anaphylaxis with significantly low blood pressure. For those groups, adrenaline auto-injectors remain the recommended treatment. EURneffy is currently available on private prescription. NHS access is expected as it is introduced across allergy services. A 1mg paediatric dose for children weighing 15 to 30kg is under review. Individuals and schools should seek guidance from a GP or allergy specialist before making any changes to their emergency medication.

The allergens hiding in plain sight

Some of the most useful bits of the guidance are the ordinary, everyday risks that have nothing to do with the dinner hall. These are the ones that catch schools out, because nobody thinks of them as food.

• Play dough often contains wheat flour. Wheat-free versions exist and should be used where a child has a wheat allergy.
• Some glues contain milk, wheat or soya.
• Junk modelling uses old packaging, egg cartons and yoghurt pots, which can carry traces of allergens. Non-food containers are safer.
• Bird feed can contain nuts and sesame.
• Cooking, science and craft lessons, and events like fetes and cultural days, all need a quick check for allergens before they go ahead.
• Animals matter too. A class pet, or a trip to a farm or petting zoo, can be a real problem for a child with a severe animal allergy or asthma.

The guidance gives one simple principle that keeps things fair: where an activity would use a material containing a known allergen, find an alternative for the whole group rather than singling a child out. Swap the flour, not the child.

It is not only about the children with a diagnosis

Around one in five children with allergies have their first allergic reaction while they are at school, college or an early years setting. Up to one in five anaphylaxis reactions in schools happen in children with no previous allergy diagnosis at all. So the idea that “we’ve only got two children with allergies, we’re fine” is one of the more dangerous assumptions a school can make.

There are other groups the guidance asks schools to think about. Staff and visitors have allergies too, and the same measures that protect children apply to adults. A child who is being investigated but has no formal diagnosis yet should not be dismissed; the guidance says to put sensible support in place based on the risk. And a small number of children have triggers that are not classic allergies at all, such as mast cell disorders, where a healthcare professional should provide a letter explaining what to avoid and how to respond.

Inclusion and wellbeing are part of the duty, not a nice extra

This is the part that gets the least attention and deserves a lot more. Living with a serious allergy is stressful for a child. Many become anxious about exposure, and that anxiety is often made worse by feeling singled out or by allergy-related bullying. The guidance names it plainly: excluding a child by deliberately using an allergen, mocking the need to avoid certain foods, and, at the extreme, threats to force-feed a known allergen.

The guidance also lists things schools should not do, and some of them are more common than you would hope:

• Segregating children with food allergies at mealtimes, for example, by making them sit at a separate table.
• Sending a child home frequently, or stopping them from staying for lunch, clubs or normal activities, because of their allergy.
• Penalising allergy-related absence, including leaving children out of rewards for 100% attendance when their absence was down to their condition.
• Making parents come in to give medication, or leaning on them to, when the school should be handling it.
• Requiring a parent to come on a trip before their child is allowed to go.

A nice idea the guidance suggests is an “allergy champion” role, for staff and for students, giving children with allergies a friendly point of contact and helping new or anxious pupils settle in. Inclusion is not the soft bit of allergy safety. It is a big part of what the guidance asks for.

Individual Healthcare Plans go well beyond anaphylaxis

People assume an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) is only for children at risk of anaphylaxis. It is not. A child needs an IHP if their allergy has a functional impact on them at school, puts them at risk of harm, and needs arrangements that are additional to or different from what the school offers everyone. Plenty of non-anaphylaxis situations meet that bar.

• A child with an egg allergy who has never had anaphylaxis but carries an antihistamine still benefits from a plan that sets out how staff would spot and handle a reaction.
• A child with severe eczema might need time to apply emollients, access to a cooler room, and a bit of understanding about the broken sleep it causes. That is an IHP too.
• A child with mild hay fever who can take their own antihistamine and eye drops may not need a plan at all, if the school’s normal medical conditions policy already covers it.

No formal diagnosis is required for a plan. What matters is the functional impact and the risk, and the plan should always be built with the child and their parents and reviewed at least once a year.

What all of this means for training

If allergy safety were only about anaphylaxis, a first aid course might just about cover it. It is not, and the guidance says directly that first aid training on its own is not sufficient. Proper allergy awareness training covers the whole spectrum: recognising the range of conditions and reactions, understanding the difference between allergy, coeliac disease and food intolerance, knowing where to find allergen information, spotting anaphylaxis and asthma, and understanding the impact allergy has on a child’s wellbeing.

It needs to reach everyone who is on site while children are there, not just the first aiders. Teaching staff, cover and supply staff, catering and lunchtime staff, club staff, office staff and regular volunteers. And it should happen at least once a year, with something in place for new starters.

---

Frequently asked questions

How Prima Cura can help

If your team’s only allergy knowledge comes from a first aid course, this is the gap worth closing. Prima Cura delivers allergy awareness and anaphylaxis training for school teams across Greater Manchester, the North West and nationally, built around your setting and your own allergy safety policy, and it covers the full spectrum, not just the emergency.

Take a look at our Allergy Awareness (Benedict’s Law) training, our Emergency First Aid for Schools course, our Anaphylaxis Awareness course, or our Emergency Paediatric First Aid.

If you would rather talk it through, call us on 0333 999 8783 or email info@primacuratraining.co.uk.

---

This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. It reflects the Department for Education’s statutory guidance Allergy Safety in Schools, published 6 July 2026, and relevant UK legislation at the time of writing (July 2026). Further duties are expected through forthcoming regulations, and guidance and law can change. Schools should read the full DfE guidance and take their own advice on how it applies to their setting. Information on EURneffy (Neffy) is included for general awareness only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a GP or allergy specialist before making any changes to prescribed emergency medication or allergy action plans. In any suspected anaphylaxis, give adrenaline without delay and call 999.